‘Not an alcoholic as he only drank Buckfast’

For breaches of a non molestation order, a 42-year-old man was given a custodial sentence last Wednesday at Craigavon Magistrates Court.

He was Daniel McConville, Moyraverty Centre, Craigavon.

His case had been heard at a previous court and adjourned so that a pre-sentence report could be obtained.

A public prosecutor said that the non molestation order in the case had run out on October 5 and she would be applying for a restraining order.

McConville was charged with breaching a non molestation order on November 19, 2015, and breaching the order again in the vicinity of Drumbeg on August 8 this year.

District Judge, Mrs Bernie Kelly, said she was aware of the facts and no background to the offences was outlined to the court.

A barrister representing McConville said on August 8, photographs had been taken of the defendant at an interment bonfire and someone had put them on Facebook.

He explained that the police were contacted but the address of the injured party was at the far end of the estate from the bonfire.

The barrister added that his client was in breach of suspended sentences and he had put himself in peril.

Judge Kelly pointed out that in the pre-sentence report McConville claimed he was no longer an alcoholic as he only drank Buckfast and lager.

She added that there was a difficulty because the defendant had a seven-month suspended sentence on his record. The judge said that these were the third and four breaches of a non molestation order by the defendant and she certified the offences as so serious there was only one penalty she could impose.

For the offence on August 8 she imposed three months in prison and invoked one month of the suspended sentence to run concurrently.A four-month sentence was imposed for the other breach, to run consecutively, making a total of seven months in custody. A two-year restraining order was also imposed.